'Smog Police' Hit the Streets to Combat Beijing's Pollution Problem

After over a week of intense smog, all of us in Beijing are finally able to take a breath of fresh(ish) air. But we’ve been through this before, and we know that the pesky pollution will return to the capital before too long.

Well, to combat the problem Cai Qi , Beijing’s acting mayor, has come up with a new plan to deal with Beijing's smog. That’s right “environmental police” are going to hit the streets to fight, not crime, but pollution. The smog police will be on the prowl, hunting for Beijingers who are barbequing outdoors, burning garbage and more, BBC reports.

"Open-air barbecues, garbage incineration, biomass burning, dust from roads – these acts of non-compliance with regulations are actually the result of lax supervision and weak law enforcement," Cai said.